Children of the Future
by Tsavong-Lah
Summary: /Issue 2: The Silverhair/ Some how Asano has found himself in a battle between police and mutants. Mutants lead by a mysterious mutant with silver hair, who also wields a dark power. Asano has to call upon his own curse-gift to help. /Updated 08.12.08/
1. Prologue and Notes

Mutants have returned! The population of mutants magically soars back to pre-Decimation levels and a second wave of mutant "awakening" hits. Fear and Hatred rise to new levels. Why have the mass off mutant powers returned? And why now do people who were not mutants before suddenly become mutants as well? The causes of strife and hatred run rampant through human society. For the poor children cursed with special gifts in this chaotic time the road may be hard, but they are the future of this world. Of this society. They are it's children. It will be up to them to shape it.

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**Foreword and Thanks**

First. Thank you for taking an interest in this. This is another little idea of mine that congealed onto the pad one day. Inspired mostly by my love of superhero comics and super powered team books in particular. Mostly X-men. Though this story is more based off of books like New Mutants, Gen-X, and Academy X. There are also some New X-men influences, Morrison era, Some from the cool little TV show "The 4400", and maybe a little Shadowrun too. I'll finally get a chance to delve into some Marvel fiction!

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**Disclaimer**

I do not own the X-men or any of Marvel's other characters or books. This story and the original characters within though are my intellectual children. Of course with the exception of materials trademarked by their rightful copyright holders. And not that it is likely but if you want to use my characters or settings, just let me know first. Simple. Okay lets get on with this.

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**Children of the Future**

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_"As I look out of my window into the cityscape beyond, and more so, into the future, I recoil with long brewing dread. The type of dread that plows through your thoughts like an unstoppable Juggernaut. A herald of the eventuality you tried to stop coming with all your might but would still arrive. My mind wanders… on tangents…but still all related to one thing._

_"It" was coming._

_A storm unlike any other this world had yet faced._

_Even after all the work my old friends, and even some enemies, tried to do to prevent this. All the toil and sacrifice they spent their lives for. Still it is coming._

_The War._

_I remember fighting on the frontlines to keep that eventuality from happening. We fought so hard and yet still it has arrived. I lost friends and parted ways with others over our quest. A conflict no one wanted to see happen was coming… well maybe not everyone._

_This was to be the first war between two races, so similar, but with a line drawn in the sand by something as simple as an extra gene. Though true, this gene was unlike any other… it was an atomic bomb of potential. I can admit this easily… I always understood why a lot of them feared us. Humph, powers like ours have consequences and dark potential, and wielding a power like ours inevitable takes a toll. I know this all to well._

_This should have been a golden age for us all, but events have conspired to thrust a different one upon the whole of humanity._

_The first shot had already been fired, that first spark to light the blaze of the millennium. That incident had already set everything in motion, and hopefully those of us seeking another way will have the power to stop it. I hope…_

_I walk way from my window, from the future, looking over the railing at my team preparing for another mission. Our first step at maybe extinguishing the spreading flames of war. At first glance they don't seem to be as weighted down by events as I am, but then I see it. The strain right beneath the faces of some of my more experienced teammates. They know something is coming, even though they might not be aware of it. But I look at them, my family, my team, my children, and I can't help but feel a well of pride, knowing their skill and how well they have done so far. Even though at the same time realizing, with a ting of pain, that many of them might die in the coming conflict. Unless we can stop it that is…_

_But I am their leader it is my job to think about these things. My, how I have changed…. Yet it seems not that much time has passed. But living the life I have maybe things do blur by so fast._

_I remember a time… a simpler time. When it was just us against the world and still possessed of an unawareness of what was really out in life. All I had to worry about was myself and let life carry me along where it may, content in the haze of youth._

_Still, even though we were just kids… maybe things weren't so simple back then either…._

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**NEXT: Issue #1: THE NOMAD**

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**NOTES and UPDATES:

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**How did I come up with this:**

Well I might as well let the cat out of the bag. Part of my reasons for doing this is in answer to House of M. I don't think the event was bad but disagreed with the after affects, the decimation and all that, and particularly the excuses for it. (update: 8/22/08: That still holds true even now) I was not impressed with what happened in the X-books afterwards either. Nor the reasons behind the Decimation. It is not even remotely because of some petty character vendetta. I just didn't like the direction, among other things, feels like a step back for the books. But anyway we can discuss that if you want. I don't mind at all.

My original idea was to do a story surrounding young mutants going to the academy at Xavier's ala the New X-men: Academy X book. And focus on one of the other teams that interact with Winddancer, Prodigy, Elixir. You know that deal. But HoM mucked that up a good bit. Plus the writing on the old book is a shell of it's former self in my opinion.

But I am no coward so I decided to write as if the HoM still occurred and yet undo some of the things that happened. It played up quite well. Now I a have a lot of material to use in my so called "Mutants Returned" ERA. The Returns ideas was something else I wanted to do. Where this alien force comes and "hires" thousands of humans to fight in a war for them in exchange for technology to the Earth. Then 10 years later they would return them to Earth but with unlocked Superpowers. And it would focus on stories of how the Returned Supers effected the Earth. Sort of a way to start my own Superhero universe. "The 4400" Waylaid that idea so I was going to make it so that all of Marvels mutants got abducted then returned, but that was felt a little farfetched. Then I just merged the two ideas in another way.

There you go. Lets see how this experiment plays out.

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**Updates:**

- 08.30.08 It has been some time since I worked on this one. That is because of the tragedy that is my computer sinking with all hands. No data recoverable. I lost quite a few different fiction projects in that debacle. Luckily I managed to find a old back up dist. It was not that up to date but it did have salvageable material on it. I managed to recover some of the older versions of my Projects. So I began to rewrite this one.

I have split off the prologue into what you see here which will also host my notes and other assorted links. I have also once overed chapter one and fixed some errors I found. Chapter two should be done at this weekend. I want to reread it one or two more times.

Thank you to all who take a look at this project.

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**Index:**

Prologue

Issue #1: The Nomad

Issue #2: The Silverhair (Almost completed)

Issue #3: The Model and the Sky Surfer (Started)

Issue #4: The Sensor and the Hacker (Planned)


	2. Issue 1: The Nomad

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**Issue 1: The Nomad**

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"Welcome back to your local news this fine April the 11th. And this is Lenora Ashikowa reporting of course.

Now to our main story of the day.

Tensions are running especially high in New York as the result of a recent crime wave. This particular crime wave has far more important impacts on the community than the ever increasing crime rate though. Police have no suspects but there is no doubt that super-powered individuals were involved says police spokesman Wilson Durrell, of the Special Criminals Unit, the NYPD's superpower taskforce.

It is a well know fact that Human and Mutant relations have been quite deplorable since the Return Riots of two years ago. The result of the sudden explosion of the mutant population back in 2008. The multitude reappearing almost over night as mysteriously as they disappeared the first time. This coupled with the spontaneous awakening of the so called x-gene in others struck us all hard. The fear of so shocking an event sent relations with mutants to an all-time low. Since then hate crimes against mutants have sky rocketed in the city and in some cases so has mutant retaliation. This new crime wave has the already mutant wary populous even more agitated. The spokesmen from the Mutant/Human Awareness Foundation has denounced the crimes in an attempt to waylay any violence that my spark off towards the people in District X, the so called Mutant town of New York City.

Even so Police suspect….."

**--**

Asano turned off the T.V. in mild disgust, he never could stand fear mongering and alarmist news. But he had to admit perhaps the local news didn't have that much effect on him since he was new to the city. Well that, and the fact that he was not familiar with news in general.

Asano was a wanderer of sorts, a modern day nomad, mostly due to his own choices in life. His travels had taken him across the United States and Japan, and had been…interesting to say the least.

Moving from place to place he'd never really grown attached to one area for too long. Living below the radar of normal society and its, to him, petty concerns he'd been out of touch with what was going on in the world. Well other than his day to day hustle to be able to see that next day. Mutant/Human relations was just something he had a hard time placing a value on at the moment, even considering his own status to the world and his own experiences with mutants. Admittedly Asano knew he was just a young inexperienced teenager though, or at least he considered himself one. A bit naïve and pretty much self-absorbed in his own needs and wants. _Though one with the skills and street smarts enough to live on his own in this crazy world._ He sighed again smiling to himself. _Ok so I am arrogant and paranoid too… yeah I am definitely a teenager._

Asano had only recently arrived in New York City. And hadn't really been that impressed having lived in Tokyo for a while. He'd wandered the streets for a few weeks going from place to place, checking out a soup kitchen or two. Seeing the sights. But he'd been here for a good length of time now, running its streets. Finally he had found a potential place to live for the moment. Usually he wouldn't have bothered to look, as he wouldn't have been here for long. But he had specific reasons for being in New York City now. He had a few other ties to the city as well, one of them mostly because he had found a job, one that he really liked. So this time he decided to settle for a longer haul than his usual stint.

Asano was a tall kid, already closing on his way to six feet high for being only sixteen years old. He possessed a wiry muscled body befitting his hard living well walked life. His brown skin was weathered compared to what one would expect from a typical carefree youngster, mostly thanks to his working many odd jobs. A lot of them manual labor, but some allowed him to learn skills as he went along. It was his experience with mechanical equipment that landed him this job. That and the fact that he could joke with the owner of the shop in Japanese.

He was now an "apprentice" mechanic at Tai's Auto Repair and Customization. A local car shop. It was far from your average customization shop though. One was the fact that the TARC, as it was known, was owned by a mutant. The other odd thing was that despite Tai Masata's mutation, and the climate towards them, Tai had managed to gain a large amount of acclaim for himself. The TARC was known as one of the premiere customization shops in the city. Tai turned out some of the most insane custom jobs ever seen. Perhaps it was because his mutant abilities lended well to his work too. Tai possessed four incredibly dexterous arms and his eyes also possessed telescopic sight. He was also something of a mechanical genius; though Asano was sure this was not a part of his mutant ability. It helped that he had an odd charisma about him that disarmed people and drew them in. Good for he was one of the more attention drawing mutants that made 'regulars' uneasy.

Tai must have taken a liking to Asano because he hired him on spot. The feeling was mutual, Asano really like Tai too. Asano had been working on the general repair team for a good two weeks since that first interview. He wasn't anywhere near experienced enough yet to move to the custom-work team up on the third story though. Tai had bought the building floors above him and spent the money to convert them over into additional floors for his "work". Work as in reverence, art. It was a weird set-up.

Asano rolled out from under the SUV he had been repairing, dirty and soiled with car fluids. He stretched his tired body and began to clean up. It was time to head home, well the TARC didn't really have set hours, you worked until you felt you should leave. Tai didn't really care too much for mundane restrictions like that, he said it interfered with his art. It helped that the TARC's reputation was so high that people didn't mind waiting if Tai was "taking" too long with his current project.

Asano said good-bye to some of his co-workers, quite a few mutants among the humans. A rare sight in these segregated days. He headed down to the changing room on first floor. Asano smiled seeing Tai changing as well. "So you found a place huh" Tai said a whimsical smirk on his face.

"Yeah," Asano nodded, "Got a little hole over in one of the Low income hoods…if things go well today that is."

"Oh I thought that you found one earlier, Tai said as they walked out into the nicely furbished lobby. Tai saw that a client was waiting on someone to assist him. He signed, recognizing the man as one of the Ultra successful pop musicians that lived in New York. "(Haven't seen you at my place in three days kid") he said switching to Japanese. He new Asano didn't talk about his movements much, and he hadn't really cared as Asano always showed for work everyday, and usually more earlier than everyone else. Still he did worry about the very odd boy.

"(Nah,)" Asano said waving dismissively, "(I would have told you that. It was just me wandering around town. You know partying, carousing, sleeping in a tree up in central park.)"

"(Really? I doubt I could survive without my hyperconditioned apartment, and custom mattress.)"

"(Hmm well genius' deserve their comforts. Still, I kind of like being outside…besides rent is just another chain 'they' use to control us… I hate attachments weighing me down.)" He said, trying to make it sound like he wasn't completely serious.

"(Ah yes foolish…youthful, idealism. I remember when I had that…)" Tai said with a amused nod.

"(Yeah so I'm a little paranoid)" Asano said, Tai's eyes widened in a 'That's an understatement' look. "(…beats being OCDed to the Nth degree.)" Asano retorted, but then waved his hands in mock apology. He'd been living with Tai for a short time, and in that time he'd seen Tai's crazy example of "order" and all his weird rituals. "(Still I do appreciate the help boss, really I do, but it's time I stop being a burden on you.)"

"(Good. I was tired of you crashing in my living room.)" Tai said with a huge grin. "(You snore loudly Asano. Very Loudly.) " Then Tai walked over to his waiting client with his customary cheer. Switching from conspiritory jokester, to hypercheerful salesman in the bat of an eye. "How are you doing Mathew!!"

Asano said nothing as left, shaking his head and laughing.

--

It was a beautiful afternoon Asano thought as he walked gazing up at the tall buildings that made up New York City's famous skyline.

Asano had some time before he was to meet with his prospective "Landlord." So he decided to take his time and enjoy the sites. The neighborhood he was currently walking through was nice enough, with its solid buildings that were not so tall to Asano. Asano did like what he called "that giant jumbletron" street for its visual allure but large buildings in downtown areas made him feel strangely claustrophobic. Thankfully this street seemed to be uncluttered with people, as much as can be said for New York. The Sun was out bright as day and there was a breeze on the air.

Yep it was a nice beautiful afternoon. _Peaceful_

--

Asano's peace was shattered two seconds later.

Just as he was about to cross the street a huge vehicle sped by. Seemingly out of control. A few seconds earlier and Asano would have been hit by it but he'd managed to throw himself to ground at the last moment. It swerved again barely missing some other pedestrians.

Asano was trying to regain control of himself. Mystified at the sudden events.

Then things got ever stranger.

Suddenly a bolt of dark energy, like black colored lighting, struck the back of the speeding vehicle. It was an Armored Bank Truck. The black lightning hammered into vehicle sparking of a dazzling explosion. The truck's back lifted up as if a child had swatted a toy. It rammed into the store front of a nearby building, a convenience store, before lurching on its side.

People ran from all around to get a look and the madness. The store owner ran out to assist but he didn't stay for long when "they" arrived.

Two figures came down from the Roof of a nearby building. One was a huge, almost grotesquely muscled man with bright, red colored skin. He was wearing clothes that obviously were homemade as nothing in the stores could fit over his muscled bulk. On his shoulder and arm he carried another peculiar looking man. This one was a striking young man with Silverhair. He was wearing all white clothes, except for his long coat.

Then in the mists of all this excitement Asano finally awoke to what was happening before him. Mutants were robbing an Armored Truck…in broad daylight! And a sick lurk sang from his stomach. He had tried to avoid getting in situations like this, now one had almost ran right into him.

The red hulking guy ran up to the back of the van and lifted it, with much more effort that Asano thought necessary. P_erhaps he isn't as strong as he appears, _thought Asano. The red hulk slowly pulled the Truck out of the store and into the street. The human onlookers, who were still a bit dazed by the events, finally wised up and started running as well. This was all happening so fast no one seemed to be able to process it correctly. _Except for Silverhair. _Even across the street Asano could see the extreme look of confidence and determination on the silverhaired man's face, almost arrogance. He was in control of this incident Asano was sure of it. He finally took notice of the crowd as well. "Listen mundanes!" he spouted in oddly accented English. He spoke with an unusual daintiness that reminded Asano of royalty types he'd seen in a few old movies. "This business is none of your concern. Be gone from this place if you know what is good for you. I do not have patience for your kind," he said, and the tone of his voice was loaded with a condescending quality. Like he looked down on them, almost as if he was barely tolerating the presence of a fly on his shoulder. The crowd did not disagree with him and began to panic as they retreated. Asano did not leave though, he just took cover behind a nearby mailbox. Asano was determined not to get involved as he had always vowed, but if things turned out like he feared they would here….

Silverhair whistled and out of a nearby alley came a Hispanic girl and two others that did not look too human. One looked like he was chitinous or covered with exoskeleton, the other was like a walking Rorschach test with the constantly swirling colors on his skin. The Hispanic girl hurried over to the back of the truck with Silverhair urging her on. With a sad look on her face, she pressed her hands to the Trucks backdoors, then they fizzed and melted like butter on a hot stove. Then the doors fell away, their joints looking like melted wax. The red hulk grabbed the unconscious security officer in the back and flung him on the street. They began to load up on bags, ones obviously carrying money in them. Asano noticed the carapaced mutant just started swallowing them whole. He got a good three of them this way, though he swayed drunkenly as the others late arrivers lead him away, two other bags in his buglike hands.

Shots range out.

Two of the Security guards survived the crash and had exited the vehicle, through the front window was Asano guess. "You wont get away with this Mutie scum!" Asano heard one guard yell.

The two guards had the their guns on the Mutants. Silver hair looked at them over his shoulder and smiled. A black bolt of energy arced from his body and hit one guard laying him out, seemingly dead. Smoke rising up off of the body, but then it started twitching and the man began moaning. _So he was the one that shot this Truck off the street._

The Red mutant rushed the other guard grabbing him. The guard though fired into his red bulky skin and the mutant yelled like mad then backhanded the guard with such force that it caused Asano to wince in imagined pain. The guard flew back and hit a brick wall with such force that Asano feared he was not likely to be alive. Then Silverhair began yelling at the big mutant with some anger. Oddly the big red mutant seemed to be apologetic and fearfull of Silverhair. Over his shock Asano thought he heard something about "Zero body count."

Sirens flared alerting every one to the fact that a Police Car had pulled up. And Asano signed deeply, _those guys don't know what they are dealing with._ The two cops inside were wide eyed with controlled fright as they excited the vehicle and ordered the mutants to surrender. "Big mistake flatfoot," yelled Silverhair. And a wicked smile flashed on his face as he sent two arcs of black lightning shooting towards the car. The cops dodged as the lightning hit, flipping the vehicle in its fury.

But that was it… the moment Asano had feared had arrived. He looked at the downed Security Officers and the Police Officers in obvious danger. He tried to stay out of it, but he couldn't sit by and let innocent people come to physical harm when he could help. He would stop this or at least try.

Asano summoned up his anger. Anger at this incident, at the brazenness of the mutants for doing it, at the hurt or dead officers, anger at many other things. It all ran through Asano and ignited the fire he had within him. His anger, one of the few tools he had found that could summon his gift. _Gift…_ His gift and his _Curse_, some part of his mind always managed to remind him. His subconscious already recoiling from the price he would have to pay for awakening his power. The "fury" was active now, he could feel incredible energies burning through him, changing and affecting him. But it felt like it always did, like it was consuming him from within and from without, painfully. But then he got used to it and felt the benefits of his terrible yet amazing power. He strained feeling it rampaging through his body. A bright blue white energy burst from within him, surrounding Asano in an aura of terrible blue white. Its corona extending a meter from his body.

With a yell more of frustration than anger Asano rushed to help the guards. Asano was the same as the assailants…

Asano was a mutant.

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**Next Issue: The Silverhair

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	3. Issue 2: The Silver Hair

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**Issue #2: The Silver Hair**

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As Asano's power raced through him he felt the insane power of it and was afraid. The pain… the color and taste of it was very dominant. But then the pain turned into a numbness, pain and numbness together. A buzzing, shaking, humming of power inside his skin. The aura of blue white energy radiated around Asano like a storm.

Asano still understood little about his curse and gift of a power. It burned inside him and caused him pain during and after his use of it. Its power was like an insane stimulant. It made his body stronger and faster. Made his senses and perceptive computation ability quicker and brighter. Sometimes even that was a double edged sword. He had to fight against it most times, like fighting against the tide of water at the beach. It could overcome him he feared; and he might be lost in the pull of it. About all he did understand of his power was that he knew he could summon it with his anger. Another danger as it took a dark, hard anger to summon it, a place that Asano did not like to go. The past.

But he had to now face that place. Lives were at stake. While Asano did not care for most humans or their society in general, he felt that life itself was something different. _No one has the right_, he thought…with some anger.

From where he stood behind the mailbox, he could see the mutant with silverhair barking orders. Across the street more police had arrived, two cars. The mutants had taken cover behind the overturned Bank Vehicle. Which stood perched in front of a small two story building with a large glass storefront window. Though now the glass was scattered in all directions on the street. As Asano watched an arch of black lightning struck and officer. The officer flew back 20 feet, his combat shotgun falling to the ground like a child's toy before such power.

_It was going to get worse, _Asano grimaced inside. The silverhair hadn't killed anyone yet, but with his wild enhanced senses Asano could tell that silverhair was having a hard time holding back. His face had that crazed light of one who enjoyed the wild abandon of the sadist. Asano knew because of his own past… of himself and of people he had known and… dealt with. If things escalated here, death would surely be on the heels of such violence. Just then another cop car stopped by on Asano's side of the street

A bullet wizzed by the silverhaired mutants head. The bullet lit off a spark of dark energy as it passed his black lightning aura. "You PEASANTS!" he said in that haughty speech of his. "I am losing my patience."

Silverhair walked towards the officers cowering behind their cars, in full disregard of the danger presented by their weapons. His face seemed to be contorted by wild glee and anger. A flash of energy blinded Asano's enhanced vision; there was a storm of black lightning across the street. Arcs of it flew in every direction. In the center of that storm was the silverhaired mutant. When the storm passed there was nothing awake in a ten meter radius of the mutant. All the officers were down, their cars scorched black where the dark energy had hit them.

"Damn it Charlain! You could have hurt us too," the hispanic woman yelled at the silverhair. _Charlain is mister silverhair. _Who was now busy now inspecting his handiwork while the other mutants were getting the rest of the money. The hispanic mutant was busy talking "at" him, while the big red one was standing around nervous and docile. Charlain lifted up one police officer and used his lighting to fling the man across the pavement.

"Charlain you are getting out of control," said one of the mutants, fear in her voice. Her tone more reminding than, scolding.

"Oh shut it you peon." Charlain said as he smirked at the hispanic mutant. "I know what I'm……."

The silver haired man didn't get to finish his sentence as Asano's struck lightning fast. In one great leap Asano flew across the street, trailing his blue white aura behind him like a comet trail. Asano's blue/white aura was flashing wildly. Asano's blow struck the Silverhaired mutant squarely in the face. The blow throwing him back into a building wall.

Asano was staggering though, to the outside observer it would seem he had to fight to keep under control. His aura flashed a bit then subsided some. _Too much I don't want to kill him, _Asano thought with some effort. But it was hard to control his increased strength, it required quite a bit of focus from his mind to handle it. For every time he drew upon his power the level of its enhancements varied wildly. It took time to realize how much to hold back or to push himself. He didn't really have that much control.

"Who the Hell is this joker," yelled the big red mutant, looking wide eyed at the silver haired mutant on the ground. Then he seemed to remember to get angry at the situation. He grabbed a nearby light post. His huge muscles bulged and rippled as he pulled it up out of the street. The red mutant used it as a club swinging it at Asano with inhuman speed. It struck the spot where Asano was standing leaving a cloud of blue white fire. "I got him in one blow!"

"No fool look up," the Hispanic mutant said pointing.

The big red mutants swing was fast but Asano was faster in his powered-up mode. He was able to see the superfast swing at something close to normal speed relative, as his enhanced body included enhanced senses and reaction times. The pole had come and Asano jumped high over their heads. _Too high, _with some effort Asano righted himself in the air and prepared his attack. His blue/white aura flared as he struck down at the red mutant. He missed, his punch striking the pavement with such power that it cracked and caved in, leaving Asano in a small crater. Recovering he looked up, only to see a huge fist coming towards him. Asano was thrown across the street from the force of the blow, leaving a small crater in a brick wall. His aura fluttered as if a candle in flame. Asano struggled to his feet. "This isn't as heroic I pictured it," he laughed to himself aching. _Am I already running out of power_?

A surge of fear passed through Asano, if he couldn't maintain his power and it left him he might be as good as dead. The "Pain" was creeping through his power buzz now. That was not a good sign.

His aura flared again and the pain subsided again beneath the buzz of his aura power. Across the street the rest of the mutants left as he recovered himself. But Big Red and Silverhair still lingered. "Just Great," he sighed.

Big Red picked up a chunk of the broken sidewalk and flung it at Asano. Asano yelled, and dived into the deeps of his rage and pain, flaring his aura greatly; he batted the concrete aside breaking it in two. He moved towards the big mutant while dodging arcs of energy from Silverhair. Asano saw an opening and dropkicked the red mutant with such power that he flew back into a small corner store doing immense damage to the building. Asano flinched, he hadn't intended to hit so hard; he was having trouble maintaining control now. The power in him got increasingly harder to control as time went by, like his focus was being burned out slowly as the power flow itself increased and decreased wildly.

In the background he heard police sirens approaching.

"I see that I am dealing with one on level with myself," the Silverhaired man said. "Yours is an immense strength, I've never seen Oni hit so hard. But do not consider me as lower tiered as my companions." Charlain said his eyes shining like light blue diamonds. "Indeed your energy of light seems a perfect counter part to my own power. Let me introduce you to it." Charlain flung his hands up, his dark energy crackling around him. The black lightning struck Asano fully, his blue aura being smothered by the darkness. It forced Asano down on his knees almost overwhelming him. Enduring the pain he forced his way to Silver hair, pain was something he was familiar with, he fed on it. The man's eyes were wide with shock as Asano fought through the dark lightning and jumped through the storm delivering a palm strike to his chest. Silver hair flew back into the street. Asano was smoking from the black lightning and his blue white was fading and flickering. He was about to follow up but was struck from behind; dazed Asano fell to the ground, looking up in time to see the mutants flee. A crumpled mailbox lay over his back.

Alone, weak, and tired Asano finally had to power down but immediately regretted it. He had used too much power. As the energy rushed to leave his body he spasmed, the damage registering on his now normal body. The pain he now felt was intense white hot shards coursing through his entire body. He fell to the ground using one free hand to keep the blood from gushing out of his mouth. The spasms and pain were sending him to an alternate dimension of existence, he could not think, his brain could no longer handle it. There on the street by the armored van he passed out, just as multiple police cars arrived on the scene.

--

It was getting on in the night as the sun had finally set. The fleet of police lights drew more and more attention to the terrible events that happened here. Large crowds had gathered to inquire what happened, regular officers where trying to keep everything under control. After what had happened a small amount of terror and misunderstanding had began to build. The ingredients to a riot…or perhaps even mob justice. CSI had begun to scour the scene to gather as much info as possible. Detectives had begun to round up and begin questioning any witnesses to the crime. And Emergency Medical personnel had arrived to see to the wounded, one wounded person was particularly important to the police officials at the scene. But surprisingly there were no dead.

"So Sgt. what can you tell me about what happened here so far? Why the hell do my streets look like a war zone." Said Lt. Woodend. He was the typical hardened old police officer.

"What you see here is another act of terrorism by Mutie filth Lt!" spat Sgt. Rosenthal. "I'm telling yah they're a menace. No regard or respect for the law, no restraint. And we can't arrest 'em with those heretical powers. My boys are having runs with these freaks and I'm telling yah Lt…." He paused calming down from his rant. "What we have here is a robbery of an armored vehicle headed for 2nd Regional Bank on Hammon Street. By our witnesses' accounts, a gang of freaks attacked and overturned the vehicle. Then using their freak powers forced entry into the vehicle. "

"Sgt. that still doesn't explain this destruction."

"Sir we have reason to believe that the damn freaks got into some sort of scuffle. Which ended up damaging or destroying multiple buildings and this street here. About what I'd expect from such degenerates. Oh…We also have other damage the street over."

"And we have one of these…things in custody?"

"Yes sir. A young Black male. But don't let his appearance fool you, he's a freak; we got multiple witnesses pointing him as the main one fighting the others," Rosenthal said, pointing to the unconscious Asano with barely veiled disgust. "He's in terrible shape though, his mutie buddies must have left him to take the fall. We have him sedated and in stable condition and will take him down to the station for questioning. I'll brief you on the rest later, I need to see to some things." The wild look in his eyes incidentally did not phase Woodend.

"Get to it then Sgt," said Lt. Woodend, he waved over another officer. A young woman in plain clothes approached. "Detective Masa, I have multiple detectives working this, I've decided to include you as well. You'll also be responsible for finding the mutants cohorts. I hear you've had experience dealing with these so-called freaks. They will have to pay dearly." He observed her slight flinch at the sound of his comment, which caused him to frown. "A problem Detective?," he growled.

"Nothing…..Its nothing sir," She said softly. " I can handle it… I might have a few leads already."

"Good," said Woodend as he was walking off. Looking over his shoulder he added. "You've seen the damage these things can do Masa. Try not to get yourself killed. And try not to get yourself killed because of some sort of PC sympathy." And with that he left to supervise the rest of the police in the area.

"Just great," Masa sighed as she walked off towards her car. She already knew where to go to find some info but she didn't look forward to it.

She looked over at the unconscious young mutant as the officers lifted him haphazardly out of a pool of blood. Her heart didn't seem to like the fact that he was being loaded into the back of a police wagon and not an ambulance.

Masa had been one of the first responders to arrive after the action had died down. It wasn't much she could have done for the boy so she had began to work over the gathered gawkers and possible witnesses. From the picture she had pieced together she didn't seem to think what went down here was what the other officers on the scene thought. But Rosenthal would hear none of that. In the end there wasn't much she could do now. But the look on Officer Rosenthal's face kept appearing in the back of her mind, unsettling her. And with the tensions in the city the way they were…. She felt a need to look out for the boy.

But then Masa slapped herself. This kid was a potential suspect. And probably a mutant with powers beyond normal. She was a police officer. And he was a potential subject she kept telling herself. She had to keep telling herself.

She got into her vehicle and headed down to Mutant town, thinking of how to get in contact with Fritz or maybe Walton. How she would deal with them, appease them, but her thoughts kept going back to that horribly injured young mutant. And in the hands of an officer like Jim Rosenthal.

--

Down in the labyrinth of sewers, the capillaries that made up the underground of New York City, Charlain fumed.

His body ached from the damage he received during the heist. His body was damaged, chest sore, arm flaring in pain perhaps even broken. These things were incidental though. .

Even in his considerable pain Charlain was angrier at something else. Or more someone else. He had been touched, sullied by that meddling mutant_ How DARE he place his hands on me!! _Charlain raged in his mind. _That degenerate meddling uncouth peasant! _Everything was going according to plan, those mundane officers were down, and the monetary gains to his crew were insight. Sure he and Oni had began to get a tad out of hand but…. Things were going…

Despite his injuries Charlain punched the wall. "That Perennial Bastard!" he yelled.

"Charlain! Your arm," said Rosia. A short woman of hispanic heritage. Her expression mingled somewhere between concern and fear of him. She knew Charlain was descending into one of his dark moods. Which from experience were both dangerous and sometimes quite painful.

"I am quite fine you foolish woman," said Charlain, his eyes crackling with dark energy and darker things. She sidled over towards Oni leaving him alone to his pain and anger. Unbeknown to them, Charlain relished that pain; it was a physical manifestation of his internal feelings. Something that he was not truly able to deal with. _Not that I would let these charlatans ever know that._

To someone of Charlain's compulsions image was of paramount importantance. Is it not what his father always told him? And Charlain's father always made sure his lessons were never forgotten. To let these underlings see him weakened by his battle that would not do. He would never allow that. Through force of will he was holding himself to the full height of his noble bearing.

_Bearing…_

To think what his parents and associates would think of him if they could see him now. Here he was a member of the noble house Temuele… _And I am in a Fething sewer! This had better be worth it…I am about tired of leading that Bastard Greywolf errand teams. _

Charlain had come a long way in his miniscule eighteen years. Half a world away from his birth home of stature to… _This filth._

Charlain currently resided as part of a tribe of mutants living amongst the streets. It had only been a few months but Charlain had already ingratiated himself in their little tribe and had even rose to what some considered "The Second," behind the leader of the pack. Which, oddly enough to be annoying, was a feral powered mutant called Greywolf. Charlain was not surprised by his rise though, for someone of his obviously superior stature and abilities there could be no other outcome.

He looked at the others, many of the mutants around him were barely functional, no more than merely above the primitive human animals they now hided from. These, in common mutant slang, were known as groggies, the barely awakened. Some in the tribe, like Rosia, were known as Betas, mutants with particularly helpful or harmful abilities. Though Rosia's own gift was also a heavy burden. Her power though great, the ability to "melt" inorganic and organic material with the touch of her hands, also trapped her in a prison. She couldn't even touch herself for short periods of time before her hands started to melt her own flesh. Let alone anything else around her.

Now Charlain, and other mutants like him, were known of as Alphas. More commonly taken from the term alpha dog than the official Alpha classification used by the government. Just as betas were known more as being pre-release versions of final products out on the market. Alpha mutants were mutants whose powers were more than helpful, powerful beings far above human cattle.

It had not taken Greywolf long to become aware of the fact that Charlain was particularly potent. And so Charlain usually led these field teams on Greywolf's stranger and stranger errands, which Charlain had become aware were for an entity above even Greywolf. Though Greywolf tried to conceal it, Charlain was sure that Greywolf knew that Charlain knew about his secret liaisons.

It also hadn't taken much time for Charlian to begin extending his tendrils of power through the tribe trying to assert his own control over them. But like any pack or tribe there must be an Alpha Dog, and Greywolf had taught Charlain a lot about his place. _Or so Greywolf thinks…_ Charlain was hoping to learn enough and gain enough power for a requiem with Greywolf. It was in his nature to be contrary and he subconsciously always sought out someone to set himself against. In the distant past that was his father which had not always turned out well. There had been others though… But for now he had to bide his time, especially as he had not been able to find out about Greywolf's secret contact.

The group of mutants wandered down seemingly random paths in the sewers. A mutant named Giblet, was leading the way. He seemed to know exactly where he was going. And as Charlain though of it, the mutant did seem to be at most relaxed down here in the sewer arterials that ran under New York City. Giblets skin was sensitive and it did seem to require more moisture than most. It was cool and damp down in the undercity, and dark too, as his eyes were particularly sensitive as well. Originally Charlain had not known why the young mutant wore shades all the time, at first he thought Giblet a fool fop until it was explained to him. Of all the mutants Giblet was particularly close to being Charlain's main associate. Thought that could have been a factor of Charlain knowing Giblet recognized his dominance.

Charlain hopped a pipeline and almost fell. He used his hand to arrest his fall into the wall. The wrong arm. And pain flared in his vision. He grabbed that pain and used it to keep him warm through his trip under the city.

--

When they returned to their "headquarters", an abandoned factory somewhere on the waterfront district, Charlain made a large pretense of being pissed off at the whole day's affairs loudly. Using the facade to go to his quarters and rest and heal his injuries. He did notice Rosia trying to be unobtrusive as she looked after him, that odd look of fear of him and worry in her eyes that Charlain found particularly arousing.

He lay in his bed with quite a bit off effort. Knowing that he would pay in the coming days for allowing his body to be mistreated in such a way. It would be quite a few tough weeks, especially as he would be fighting not to let his injuries show. He hadn't needed to do that for Greywolf's sake, Greywolf would see through the act, and Greywolf had no need to act on it as he thought Charlain particularly cowed. The pretense of invincibility and image was usually only for those he considered his lesser.

He laid there for a while trying to sleep, but it wouldn't come, despite his tiredness. He lay there feeling his fatigue and his pain.

But thoughts of pain turned his thoughts to the actions of the day that gave him that pain, and one particularly meddlesome mutant. Charlain readied himself to feel that red rage of anger and hatred. But surprisingly it did not come as he had been expecting. And yes it was there but tempered somehow. Now when he thought of the mutant he had a longing as a sublayer to the rage.

The mutant was a strong foe, taking on Charlain and his crew. In Charlain swirled a host of confusing emotions, unsettling and frustrating him as Charlain was not one easily able to deal with such feelings of nebulousness.

The slight against him would definitely have to be avenged. And with all the deep cruelty of Charlain and his ancestral memories. It was the Temuere way. But there were other emotions involved as well. The mutant had even weathered his abilities in that battle. So that mutant was obviously an alpha too. That ignited another emotion in and of itself. A worthy opponent to set himself against.

_Yes._ Charlain thought he would have to find that interfering mutant. But then what….

* * *

**Next Issue! : The Wind Surfer and the Model.**

* * *

_-Ok sorry about the wait. I had some things at work taking up my time. I think I will focus on a few more chapters but alas I will need to divert some time to my other fiction projects. Hmmm, if only I focused on maybe 2 or 3 projects I could make faster progress. But I have like seven other fics to work on. My mind wants to see all of them to paper. Shame too it is fun to write…._

_-Well looking back on it, I talked a lot of pain in this chapter. It is one of my underlaying issues that I like to write about. Mental and Physical. More of a personal experience thing. I guess I was really feeling it at the time as it sort of wormed its way into the work quite heavily. More on that latter though._


End file.
